Resilient shoe lace



Maljch 2 1926.

F. M. WAKIMOTO RESILIENT SHOE LACE Filed Feb.

INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 2, 1926.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKTM. WAKIMOTO, F HIGHLND PABX, MICHIGAN.

BESILIENT -SHOE LCE.

To all whom t may concerm- Be it known that I, FRANK M. Waxnao'ro,

a citizen of the United States, and resident of Highland Park, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements .in Resllient Shoe Laces, of which the following is a Speclhcation.

This invention1 relates to fasteners for shoes, slip ers,""and the like, and has for 1ts .primary o ject the revision of a fastener that has substantial y the same appearance as the familiar shoe lace now in general use and in addition will be resilient and permanently laced through all the eyelets of the shoe.

The almost universal method of lacing shoes and the like by non-resilient laces threaded through eyelets on alternately o osite sides of the front opening has t e disadvantage of requiring the removal of the lace from the uppermost eyelets before the shoe can be removed from the foot. Often the lace must be withdrawn from a considerable number of eyelets before the shoe can be freely removed,and,of course, after the shoe is again donned the lace must be aga-in threaded through the upper eyelets before it is tied in place. This all requires time, lions of people every day. An object of my invention is to obviate this waste of time and provide a shoe lace that will yield suificiently to enable the removal of the shoes While the lace remains in all of the eyelets, provisions being made for preventing the accidental slipping of the tips of the laces through the uppermost eyelets.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein similar reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a persp ective View of a shoe equipped with my 1m roved lace in the position assumed when t e lace is tied.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the shoe when the lace is untied andin position for permitting the removal of the shoe.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the tip of my improved lace in the position it assumes when the lace is being stretched.

Flg. 4 1S a similar vlewshowmgthe posiand occasions inconvenience "tom'ilvp Application nled February 5, 1925. Serial No. 6,962.

tion assumed by the tip when the lace is being threaded through the eyelets, and

Fig. 5 is a detail section through the tip. Referrin now to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates a. shoe of the ordinary or any desired construct-ion having its up er portion separated at the front and provi ed 4 adjacent each edge with a lurality of eyelets 6 for the reception o the lace 7. A tongue is secured behind the edge portions of the shoe upper to close the gap and revent the eyelets from contact-111g the oot .of the wearer.

v My im roved fastener 7 is preferably formed o elastic material 7al covered with fabric, thread or the like, as 7", to give the appearance of the ordinary shoe lace in general use. It is obviously possible for this covering 7" to take the sha e of a round, flat or any desired shape.' Xt each end of the lace 7 is secured a tip 8 comprising a cylindrical portion 8a surrounding the extremity of the shoe lace and provided with a plurality of indentations or teeth 8b to bite lnto the lace covering to permanently secure the extremity of the lace within the tip. Each tip 8 is also provided: with a rearwardly extending loop 8c which projects beyond the rear extremity, of the cylindrical ortion 8n to engage against the exterior wall of the uppermost eyelet to prevent, accidental passage of the ti 8 while the lace is being stretched, as durlng the removal of the shoe from the foot. The loop 83 may extend any desired distance from the rear of the cylindrical portion 8, and may be pressedinto the body of the lace adjacent the tip when the tip is being passed through the eyelets during the lacing operation. To strengthen the loop and to prevent it being bent away from t e cylindrical portion of the tip, I preferably form the loop with an extension 8d adapted to lie within the cylindrical portion of the tip and contact the extremlty of the lace where it is firmly secured by the indentations 8h of the tip.

In o eration, my improved fastener is laced t rough the eyelets of the shoe in the ordinary manner utilized with the nonresilient laces in common use, each cross lace being .pulled as tightly as desired and the projecting ends of the lace then tied into a bow, exactly as with the ordinary shoe lace. While so tied,A the resiliency of the lace permits the foot to move more freely than with the non-resilient laces, because the A,edges of the shoe upper may separate when' pressure' is brought against anl portion thereof2 as for example when the oe bends while its wearer is walkingI or dancing.

5 When it is desired toremove the alice from the foot, `it isonl necessary to untie'the lace and sli thel s oe oil the foot. During the remove of the shoevafter the" lace is untied, the lace will first slip throughthe l" eyelets until the tip enfgeages the uppermost eyelet, and therea r the `lace will stretch suiiciently to rmit the removal of the shoe. =When the tip of the lace reaches the uppermost leyelet., the projecting loop l5 V8" en ages one side of the-feyelet whlle the y lcylindrical portion 8 of the tip en ges the op ite side, of the eyelet an additiona pressure (upon the lace will not ull the tip through the uppermost eyelet. 20 llowever, when it is desired to remove-the lace from the shoe, it is only necessary to hold the tip so that the loop portion 8 first enters each eyelet, whereupon the remainder of the tip will lpassl throughthe eyelet in lportion but the manner of the ordinary shoe lace tip. 25

While it will be apparent that the illustrated embodiment of my invention herein disclosedl is well calculated to adequately fulfill the objects and advantages primarily stated, it is' to be understoodthat the invention is susceptible to variation, modification andchange within the spirit and sco of the subjoined claim. A l

aving described my invention, I claim: y A lfastener for shoes equilpped with eyelets comsrising a resilient ace ada ted to be threa ed through the eyelets an carrying at each extremity a tigehaving a cylindrrcal rtion adapted to clamped upon theen of the lace and a loop portion in 40 substantial alignment with the cylindrical )lrojecting beyond the clamped t e lace for the purposes deportion of scribed.

In' witness whereof I rhereunto set my 46 hand.

FRANK M. WAKIMTO. 

